A VETERAN charity worker spoke of his pride as Princess Anne relaunched a craft named after him.
Austen Johnson, 91, spoke to the Princess Royal shortly after she stepped off the revamped narrowboat which bears his name.
“She told me she was impressed by the boat,” the Birkby man said.
The craft was launched by Prince Philip in 1978.
The narrowboat was relaunched yesterday following an extensive refit to cope with the increased size of modern wheelchairs.
Mr Johnson said: “I think it’s fantastic, they’ve done a marvellous job on the boat.
“I reminded Princess Anne that her father had commissioned it 34 years ago. I told her how pleased I was with the recommissioning.
“It was the first time that I’d met her but I’ve met her mother, her father and Prince Edward in the past.”
The recommissioning was partly funded by South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.
Chief executive Steven Michael said: “We provide mental health, learning disability and community services to a wide range of people across the region.
“Our service users can feel excluded from opportunities such as these for a variety of reasons, including stigma, social isolation and lack of motivation.
“Promoting Wellbeing through Waterways gives people who use our services the opportunity to enjoy the canal boats on local waterways in a supportive and friendly environment – this can make a tremendous difference to their wellbeing”.
